The Storm Before the Calm
by twattingdaleks
Summary: A sequel to my story "It's Broken Until You Fix It" in which Valkyrie is very emotional. Be prepared for Fletchkyrie fluff.
1. An Abundance of Nothing

**Chapter 1: An Abundance of Nothing**

Ever since Fletcher had come back and then left her again, Valkyrie had become different. She wouldn't eat much, sleeping was a rarety and she would defeat her enemies with much gusto.

One training session, Valkyrie was sending flames flying into the air, and beating the large sand bag until it burst. It was when she started screaming that Skulduggery felt he needed to step in.  
>"Valkyrie, is everything alright?"<br>"No, Skulduggery, everything is _not _alright! Nothing's right!"  
>"...Tell me, what happened that has made you wreck the last sandbag that we have?"<br>"Fletcher. H-he was there, and then he just, left!"  
>"Yeah, but that was a long time ago, Valkyrie. And, you did cheat on him with that vampire."<br>"No, no. I mean, he came back. He was saying that he missed me and I was crying and then he said he had to go because it was the right thing to do but I don't think it was!" Skulduggery said nothing for a while. He watched Valkyrie with his hollow sockets.  
>"I am going to leave for a while. And I'm hoping you will find my good friend Valkyrie. She is strong, she can get through a trivial ordeal like this. When you find her, tell her to come find me. Then, we can go through training like civilized people." And with that, Skulduggery got into the Bentley and with a purr, drove off to his next destination.<p>

Valkyrie watched him leave. How dare he? She needed some kind of support, she needed a friend. How dare he leave her when she's going through this? Valkyrie was furious. Not just at Skulduggery, but at almost everyone else. They didn't understand. None of them did. But most of all, she was furious at Fletcher. He was the one that made her like this, caused her to scream, to cry, to wish he didn't leave. In fact, she wished he'd never even come back. It was him coming back that made her realise that he was what she wanted and what was missing from her too exiting life. A functional relationship. Happiness after a painful fight with an enemy. That was all she needed to be content, yet that happiness seemed to be so very out of reach.

Valkyrie's jaw clenched as she walked home. It didn't take long, but a ride home from Skulduggery would make the time a lot shorter. The rain started dripping almost immediately after she left the training area. By the time she was climbing into her bedroom window she was drenched. Her reflection looked up and stared blankly, waiting for instructions.  
>"Get in the mirror." Valkyrie said in a tone that was not to be questioned. The reflection nodded and undressed before walking over to the mirror and moving into the shiny oval shape on the wall. Valkyrie put her hand on the mirror, gaining the memories of her reflection the past day. The reflection had done some homework and not much else. It never usually did anything interesting and today was no exeption. Valkyrie took her hand away from the mirror and took off her soaking wet clothes. She had decided not to wear her black battle clothes. That was a mistake.<p>

She took a shower and dried herself off. It was around dinner time but she remembered that the reflection had already eaten. She hadn't. She tossed on what her reflection was wearing and wandered downstairs to grab a snack. Nobody had noticed her slipping in and out of the kitchen. _Good._ Valkyrie thought. _I'm not feeling too social right now._ She dashed into her room and shut the door. She half jumped onto her bed and tossed her arms around her face. It was one of those days. When you could do something wonderful and fun but still feel like murdering anyone who talks to you. She bit into the sugary biscuit she had collected from the cupboard downstairs. It didn't fill her up but at that moment it didn't really matter. She wasn't hungry. What she needed was sleep. And lots of it. She pulled on the string that controlled the blind on her window then pulled her covers over herself after changing into her bed clothes. She drifted off into a deep sleep until the harsh light of morning came.


	2. Normal Ain't That Normal

**Chapter 2: Normal Ain't That Normal**

Since that training session with Skulduggery, Valkyrie had to opt for a normal life. She tried going to school for a while. It wasn't as bad as it seemed, but the loneliness that her reflection's emotionlessness had created made her feel truly alone. She decided she needed someone to talk to; someone to ease her out of boredom.  
>She searched her registration class, noticing a girl who had thick brown hair and a straight-cut fringe that covered her eyebrows. The girl was wearing the standard uniform but also had multi-coloured stripy knee-high socks that poked out from a set of black combat boots. The girl was sitting alone, much like Valkyrie was. Valkyrie decided that this girl was better than any of the other girls with their orange tinted skin and spiders glued to their eyes.<br>Valkyrie walked over to the girl ignoring the judgmental stares of the pack of orang-utans from across the classroom.  
>"Hi. I'm Stephanie." Valkyrie decided this was as good an aproach as any.<br>"Hi, I know who you are. We've been in the same class for months. I'm Evie."  
>"I'm sorry if I've ignored you over the months, Evie. Can I sit here?"<br>"Sure. It's not as if anyone else would. Luckily." Evie said with a giggle. Valkyrie sat in the chair next to Evie. She slung off her bag and dumped it at her feet.  
>"So... We in a lot of the same classes?" Valkyrie asked eventually.<br>"Yes, actually. We got put in the exact same classes. I'm surprised you've only noticed me now."  
>"Sorry. I don't usually pay attention to the people that surround me."<br>"I've noticed. You seem interesting enough to catch my attention which, in my eyes, is like winning the lottery. Congratulations." Evie pulled out a book and flipped to a page that had a flowery bookmark in between the pages. She removed the bookmark and began scanning the pages and absorbed the information on display.  
>"What're you reading?" Valkyrie asked, actually curious.<br>"The third Everworld book. It's about a different dimension with mythical and historical figures in it. It's pretty good, and no lovey-dovey romance stuff."  
>"I might take a crack at one. I could use less lovey-dovey stuff." Valkyrie sighed at the end of that sentence. Fletcher.<br>"Oh? Bad break-up?" Evie looked at her from under her fringe.  
>"Yeah, of sorts. We were already broken up, then we got back together and then he left again. But the first time he left, I had cheated on him so it was totally understandable."<br>"Wow. You actually cheated on a guy? I think he was wrong to come back, frankly." Valkyrie wasn't shocked. She agreed. Fletcher had come back to her, even though she had broken his heart by dating Caelan while dating him simultaniously.  
>"I agree. I was so cruel to him."<br>"So who is this unfortunate soul?" Evie asked.  
>"His name is Fletcher. He's a couple years older than me and he comes from London."<br>"Wow. Look who's got a fancy ex-boyfriend, huh? What'd you do to land a Londoner?"  
>"What? I didn't do anything, he just proclaimed that he liked me and I went with it after a while. Really, I'm nothing special."<br>"Darling, the moment you met him, I'll bet you anything he thought you were at least cute."  
>Valkyrie pondered this for a moment. Had he thought that about her? Was Valkyrie some kind of cat that had been toying Fletcher like a mouse? How did this girl know what Valkyrie had been doing to Fletcher when they hadn't even spoken before? Valkyrie let her face show a quizzical expression. When Evie saw this as she looked up from her book, she snickered. Evie placed her bookmark into the page she had finished and put her book into her bag. The bell rang and Valkyrie followed Evie to their first class: history.<br>History was very interesting to Valkyrie. They were learning about the Aztecs. The Aztec monks would take their human sacrifice up to the top of an alter to get their heart cut out and made as an offering to the Gods. They believed that human hearts would please the Gods, and only then would the Gods grant them with good weather to grow their crops. Evie was sitting at the back left of this class, while Valkyrie was sitting at the middle left of the class. By the end of the lesson, Valkyrie had a new favourite class.  
>The next period, however, was maths. Valkyrie entered it with the false pretense that it would be just like any other class. But when the lesson started, it was too late. She couldn't escape. She already knew all of the formulae and how to use them in what the teacher would call an everyday situation, so she didn't have a problem doing the work. Her problem was that it was so repetitive. She almost felt sorry for her reflection who was forced to sit through this torture daily. Her peers seemed to feel the same way as her.<br>Their faces drooped with boredom, their interests were not piqued, except for one. It was obvious that Evie loved the constant stream of numbers. Her hand flew up at any opportunity and the teacher seemed to adore her, knowing that maths wasn't the most popular subject out there. Other than her, every one of the students in that class was aching to leave. And when the bell rang, oh how they ran. Out into the sweet corridor of freedom, for that bell did not only signify the end of maths, but also the beginning of interval.  
>Valkyrie grabbed her bag and walked over to Evie's desk as she packed away her things.<br>"Oh. You're back. I hope you're not just here to befriend me and then when I think things are going great I catch you chatting to another girl." Evie snickered.  
>"Shut up. I didn't mean to hurt him, it's just this guy was really hot."<br>"How shallow are you?" Evie giggled.  
>"I'm as shallow as you are not interested in uninteresting classes like maths."<br>"Yeah, well, I think maths is just under-apriciated as one of the most intelligent of art forms."  
>"Art forms? You've got to be kidding me." Valkyrie laughed along with Evie as they walked until they reached the main hall.<br>Evie invited Valkyrie to sit with her and her friends. Valkyrie gladly accepted and followed Evie to her regular table.  
>"Hi guys. This is Stephanie, she's in my classes. She's in our biology class too, Darren."<br>"Oh, really? Never noticed her before. Sorry." Said a boy no more than two months older than Valkyrie. He had long dark hair, bright blue eyes and a devilish grin.  
>"It's okay, really." Valkyrie replied.<br>"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't notice a fucking marching band if one walked right infront of your face." A girl said. She looked slightly older than Evie, Valkyrie and Darren. Probably in the year above them. She had dyed her hair a dark blue that looked almost black and her eyes were a light gray that the light played with.  
>"Keira, don't be so hard on him. It's not his fault he's got the attention span of a... I don't know where I'm going with this." Evie sighed at her lack of ability to choose the right word.<br>"A spoon?" An older boy suggested.  
>"Yeah, that would've worked." Evie sat next to Darren and beckoned Valkyrie to sit opposite her. As she did, Darren complained that his attention span was not the same as a spoons and that everyone should shut up. Evie giggled at the pouting teenager sat next to her.<br>"Aww, poor baby. Are the mean kids picking on you again?"  
>"I'm not a baby and yes they are." This caused Evie to burst out laughing and she started hugging the boy.<br>"Okay, then. If you're not a baby, then are you a toddler? Because they have similar mental capacities. If anything, they're even less intelligent than babies."  
>"I'm not a baby, I'm not a toddler! Caleb, help me out, man!"<br>"Sorry, you're on your own with this one. Evie's right. She usually is." Said a tall boy from further down the table. He had short strawberry blonde hair and his expression couldn't be better described as anything but jolly. Valkyrie couldn't make out his eyes very well because he was wearing a pair of glasses.  
>"Keira. Give me your sweets." Said a girl sitting next to another boy.<br>"No! If you want sweets you can get them yourself! I may be your cousin, but I'm not your lacky!"  
>"Aw, please?" Said the girl. She had dyed her hair purple and wore thick-rimmed glasses. The boy she was sitting next to had to be her boyfriend, because they exchanged hugs and kisses throughout the duration of the conversation.<br>"Fine. But only one." Said Keira passing over one of the sweets that came from a large bag of many others. "Would you like one, Stephanie?"  
>"Sure." Valkyrie took the small sugar-coated sweet that had been offered to her. She popped it into her mouth and chewed on it until swallowing. It was fruity, like most sweets were and Valkyrie liked it so much, she asked for another.<br>The conversation from that point was mainly focused on Valkyrie. They all asked her questions and she got formal introductions from everyone. There was Keira, Darren, Caleb, the girl with purple hair's name was Savannah and her boyfriend, who had short dark hair and dark eyes, was called Mylo. They were a strange bunch. They chatted about strange things like Japanese cartoons called anime and Evie and Caleb had a debate over which was better: cats or dogs? Evie favoured cats, while Caleb favoured dogs. This particular debate seemed to be a constant thing with those two. Evie and Darren were constantly flirting. In some ways cute and others rather offensive in some people's opinions. And when the bell rang, Valkyrie was pleased to know that the next class was biology.  
>Once they entered the class and got their equipment out, the three of them grouped up to participate in an experiment.<br>"So, Darren, go get the stuff, Stephanie, go help Darren and I'll get the worksheet." Evie took charge and led us to greatness, greatness being the quickest to fill out the worksheet and had the most correct findings. Evie was so focused on the schoolwork that she didn't notice Darren watching her. Valkyrie noticed. She pulled him to one side at lunch after the next period had gone by.  
>"So, you like Evie, huh?" Valkyrie said with a small smile.<br>"No. Who told you that? Well, whoever it was, they're wrong." He replied all too quickly. Valkyrie gave him a knowing look.  
>"Right. Nobody told me, I can just tell. The way you look at her reminds me of... One of my exes."<br>"...Just, don't tell her, okay? She's really cute and I don't want this to blow up in my face."  
>"Don't worry, I think she likes you, too." This caused Darren's face to light up with surprise.<br>"Really? But, how can you tell?" His face was going a light red that made Valkyrie laugh silently to herself.  
>"Yes. It's a girl thing." With that, they joined the rest of the group until the next bell rang signalling period five. They had French: it wasn't too bad but Valkyrie would rather have history again. After period six, English, Valkyrie said bye to Evie and proceeded to go back to her house. It had been a long, long day.<p> 


	3. Creating a Splash

**Creating a Splash**

Two weeks had passed since Valkyrie and Evie became friends. Valkyrie found that Evie was cynical yet optomistic, tired yet full of life. She was incredibly wise and understood exactly how a person felt at any one moment. She didn't excel in gym like Valkyrie, she preferred using her brains than her brawn. On that level, Valkyrie and Evie were complete opposites of each other. Evie would always support Valkyrie when she was in a race or something else sport related and Valkyrie would cheer Evie on when she finished a cross word puzzle in record time. They had become close, and Valkyrie liked that.  
>One weekend, they decided to have a sleepover. It was then that Valkyrie discovered Evie's taste in music. Her tastes varied from a mellow folk love song to a thrashing, headbanging screech about death. Valkyrie couldn't make out the words to any of the heavier songs Evie listened to but Evie mouthed the words and knew them off by heart. She also liked punk-pop bands but Valkyrie discovered Evie hated most pop music with a burning passion. Evie's more casual choice of clothing was a t-shirt with a superhero's logo on it under a long man's shirt with black and white checkers. On her legs, she wore skin-tight jeans and the combat boots she wore to school. They spent the night at Valkyrie's house and Evie adored Alice. She spent a lot of time playing with the baby girl but more time chatting with Valkyrie in her room.<br>They talked about regular things like celebrities who were good-looking, and those that weren't. They imitated people from their school, mostly the judging orang-utans, and they discussed the ability of their own teachers, until a slightly sensitive subject came up.  
>"So what do you think that Londoner you pulled is doing now?" Evie inquired while crunching on cheesey Doritos. Valkyrie tilted her head to the side and stared off for a minute.<br>"Honestly, I have no clue. He could be anywhere by now."  
>"So he travels a lot?"<br>"In a way, yes." Valkyrie laughed slightly to herself. This caused Evie to tilt her own head.  
>"Which way would that be?" Her eyebrow raised from under her thick fringe. Valkyrie blinked a couple of times. She had forgotten how questioning this girl was.<br>"Well, it's not as if he does the travelling. He goes on plains and hitch-hikes or whatever." Evie's eyes narrowed in suspicion.  
>"...I guess you have a point there." Evie turned her attention to the television screen in Valkyrie's house. "But still, you're a terrible liar." Evie smiled to herself. Valkyrie hadn't gotten away with it. That was another thing about Evie. She would pull you into a sense of security and then pounce on you when you feel safest. She would have been a good hunter, if it came down to that.<br>"So now that we've talked about my horrible love life, what about you?" Valkyrie flashed a devilish grin. Evie may have been good at hunting, but Valkyrie knew how to make her squirm.  
>"Well, you know, it's pretty non-existant."<br>"Oh? Nobody you've got an eye on?" Valkyrie's grin grew wider.  
>"No, no! Of coarse not! You know me, I'm a loner when it comes to relationships." Evie's quickened voice did not back up her statement.<br>"Right, it's just, I've been noticing a little thing between you and a certain Mr. Darren. Thought I might have a little romance playing out on my hands." Evie's face was crimson. She buried her nose into two balled-up fists. Her eyes peeked over the edge of her sheild-like hands.  
>"Really, Stephanie, why do you think such things. Of coarse not, Darren and I are friends. Buddies, even. Now, why would I want to waste a perfectly good friendship on something as unimportant as romance? You know the sayings. Bros before hos. Chicks before dicks. Well, he's like a chick. And he'll never ever be a dick. Ever." Valkyrie could see clearly that Evie wasn't fooling even herself. Evie started eating the Doritos in front of her furiously, in an attempt at stopping herself from speaking anymore. Valkyrie shook her head slightly and started eating again, too. They both stared directly at the television, watching the comedy film that had come on while Evie was rambling.<br>It didn't take long for the girls to get sleepy. With sleep, a peaceful serenity came to the room. Valkyrie and Evie had chatted themselves into a quite and long slumber that lasted through the night into the overcast light of morning. Valkyrie squinted into the light of morning as she woke. One heavy arm pushed her body from the bed and she looked to her side to see Evie still sleeping on her side. Valkyrie wasn't used to anybody other than family members and Fletcher in her room. She was slightly uneasy, especially as a girl who looked so fragile was sleeping there.  
>Valkyrie slowly got out of the bed, groaning a few times as her bones clicked together when she stretched. She gave Evie one last glance. The fragile girl slept on her front, face to the side. Her hair sprawled across the duvet that she had tucked around her entire body but left her feet sticking out. The feet were cut off from the air by a pair of red socks. Valkyrie turned away from the girl in her bed to walk to the kitchen.<br>Gaining friends made life easier for Valkyrie. She ate again, each night she slept dreamless and calm, she could be genuinly happy again. Valkyrie liked that she was getting better at living life, but the fact that Skulduggery was out there without her at his side itched at her until it was all she could think about. It was a nagging feeling like there was something she was missing. She had to get over this: Skulduggery needed her, she could feel it.  
>Valkyrie devoured a bowl of cereal before heading back to her room. She tried not to look at her closest mortal friend as she felt it wrong to look at a sleeping girl, especially due to the fact that Valkyrie could kill her. Valkyrie wouldn't like it if anyone watched her sleep. That thought brought up another; the vampire who did watch her sleep. In retrospect, dating Calaen was definitely a bad decision. He was a loose cannon, he didn't understand the concept of boundaries. Yet, he was so good-looking and angsty and mysterious. The exact opposite of Fletcher. Fletcher was kind, sweet and happy. He would've gave his life for Valkyrie and she knew it. She sighed to herself.<br>"No use thinking about it." Valkyrie muttered under her breath.  
>"Thinking about what?" A sleepy mumble brought Valkyrie's face up to look at the supposedly sleeping girl. She was still lying face down but now she was bringing her head up and turning over very slowly.<br>"Oh, nothing. I thought you were asleep."  
>"I was. I woke up when you went downstairs. I just like to lie down for a bit before actually getting up." She had completely turned around and sat up by then. Her fringe was sticking out in various directions and a sleepy grin spread over her face.<br>"Hungry? We have cereal." Valkyrie offered.  
>"Nah, eating in the morning always makes me sick. I know, it's unhealthy or whatever but I honestly couldn't give a fuck."<br>"Okay, fine. You wanna watch some telly?"  
>"Sure, but there's never usually anything on at this time. Actually, what is the time?"<br>"Um, I think it's around half nine, not sure."  
>"Wow, that's actually really early for me." Evie said followed by laughter. She sat in front of the television and crossed her legs. She was wearing a tank top and fleecy pyjama bottoms. Valkyrie fumbled around her cluttered table for the remote for her television. She felt the smooth plastic and grabbed it, pulling it from under some homework due for next week. She pressed the red button and let Evie pick the channel. They ended up watching a vaguely funny show and soon it was time for Evie to leave. Valkyrie couldn't help but notice something about Evie that Valkyrie felt odd. Valkyrie could see unspoken words in Evie's eyes and read her face like a page in a book. Valkyrie couldn't see this in anybody else, not even her own family.<br>Evie had her things packed and she was wearing a pair of rather loud flower-print skinny jeans and a black and white checkered shirt two sizes too big. Her trademark combat boots defended her feet from the rainy Irish weather. Valkyrie opted for jeans and a t-shirt, her own pair of boots and a hooded bomber jacket. As they walked to Evie's home, the rain battered against the ground leaving rings in puddles. Valkyrie liked the feeling of the cool droplets against her face. Evie didn't mind getting her hair wet, she said she was going to have a shower when she got home anyway.  
>The walk was silent, the only conversations being between the smothering rain and the strong ground. It took around fifteen minutes to get Evie back to her house. She used her own set of keys to get in and after Evie was inside, Valkyrie started to walk to nowhere in particular. She pulled out a numb hand to push some hair from her face. She found herself sitting on a bench near the training area. She didn't know what she was waiting for. She let magic pour through her veins for the first time in weeks. It felt natural, more natural than not using it. She pushed at the air and rain fell around her rather than on her. She pulled her hood off and shifted her head backwards. She stared at the defence she had created for herself. How the rain hit and rolled off. She was manipulating the air rather than the actual rain itself. That was another reason to find Skulduggery. He had to teach her, help her with the horrible fate that had been written for her. Help her keep Darquesse from breaking the barriers and keep her where she couldn't hurt anyone.<br>The last time Valkyrie was here, Skulduggery told her to get over Fletcher and then they'd talk. She was over it. And still, here she was. Living a normal life. Having sleepovers with friends from school. Valkyrie pulled her hood back up and let the rain hit. Well, if Skulduggery wouldn't teach her, she'd teach herself. Valkyrie closed her eyes and visualised each raindrop. She lifted a hand and visualised the closest raindrops moving away from her hand. A noise caused Valkyrie's eyes to flutter open.  
>Evie stood there, a notepad and pen in hand. Her expression was shocked, her eyes fixed on the area above Valkyrie's head. Valkyrie looked up and noticed that the raindrops had stopped over her hand, forming a circular puddle above Valkyrie's head.<br>"How did you do that?" Evie managed to say.  
>"..." Valkyrie's mouth dropped. Words rushed around her head but none came to mind. One word did force it's way from the lips of the girl who held water above her head. "Crap."<p> 


	4. The Jig is Up

**The Jig is Up**

The water hit Valkyrie like a ton of bricks. She shivered as the rain got into the small opening of her t-shirt. Evie stared at her with wide, unblinking eyes.  
>"What the...? How did you...? Buh?" She mumbled.<br>"Shit. You shouldn't have seen that. That was freaking cold." Valkyrie shivered again, repulsed by the cold rain water running down her back.  
>"I'm... sure. The rain... it's cold. Cold." It took Valkyrie a moment to realise that Evie had started to fall. Quickly, she hit at the air and held the obviously in shock girl. Valkyrie caught Evie as she slowly sank onto her knees.<br>"Shit." Valkyrie cursed again.

After Valkyrie dragged Evie to her uncle's house, said uncle didn't ask any questions, she plopped the brunette onto the guest bed. Valkyrie sighed through gritted teeth as she paced the length of the small guest room. Why wouldn't she wake up? What would she tell her when she did? And how would she react? A mortal knowing about magic would end up being catastrophic normally, but somehow, Valkyrie felt Evie might be able to handle it. She was intelligent, logical and she would probably be able to make sense of it all. Maybe.  
>She stared out of the door frame. It had been a whole fifteen minutes since Evie had fainted. Valkyrie was getting more worried with each minute.<br>To calm herself, she hopped down the stairs with a creak each time one of her feet hit the carpeted floorboard.  
>"There is an unconscious mortal girl sleeping on the guest bed at this moment in time and I have no idea what to do about her."<br>"Yes, I was wondering about that. Why _do _you have an unconscious mortal girl sleeping on the guest bed?" Valkyrie bit at her lip.  
>"Okay, her name's Evie and she goes to school with me. I was practicing water manipulation outside in a secluded, or what I thought was secluded, place. She fainted, I took her here because it was closest. And once again, I have no idea what to do about her."<br>"When do you think she'll wake up?" Her uncle inquired.  
>"Honestly, I don't know. If you haven't noticed I'm not exactly a medical professional." She snapped back.<br>"Sorry, sorry. You don't need to be so touchy. I am trying to help."  
>"I know, I know. I'm sorry. It's just, there's an UNCONSCIOUS GIRL IN THE GUEST ROOM. The guest room!"<br>"Calm down, Stephanie. You'll just have to wait until she wakes up and explain to her what happened in a way that won't make her faint again." Valkyrie nodded.  
>"Thanks. That's pretty sound advice. Thanks." Valkyrie sighed and trotted back up the stairs.<p>

"Oh good. You're awake. Thank God." Valkyrie sighed in relief after Evie's eyes fluttered open.  
>"What? How long was I out?" A panicked expression crept onto her face. Valkyrie sat on the chair in the corner of the room.<br>"About... forty minutes. Maybe more." Evie's eyes widened.  
>"Oh shit! I told my mum I'd be home once I was done reflecting on life as I knew it!"<br>"Well... did you?"  
>"No I was too busy wondering how the fuck one makes water hover over ones head." Ah. Valkyrie had hoped that had escaped her mind whilst unconscious. And from the suspiscious looks Evie gave her, it was apparent that it had not.<br>"Well, I have something to tell you. It might just blow your mind."  
>"Go on." She pressed.<br>"There is a secret community in this world of people with magical abilities. I am one of them. I'm mainly an elemental but this ring," she pointed to the Necromancer ring, cold on her finger, "is a Necromancer ring and it holds all of my shadow magic."  
>"My mind is full of fuck. How could you hide that for so long?"<br>"It's an unspoken rule to not tell mortals of our world."  
>"Wait, you're immortal! What the hell are you doing at school, then!" Evie's face was turning alarmingly red and her cheeks became shiny with sweat.<br>"I haven't exactly told my parents. But I don't usually go to school. My reflection does it for me while I keep the world safe with my partner, Skulduggery." Evie's eyes squeezed shut.  
>"You have... a partner named... Skulduggery?"<br>"Yes."  
>"WHAT FUCKERY IS THIS!" She said, her eyes snapping open. Valkyrie's previous judgment of this girl, who seemed calm and logical before, completely morphed into one of hysteria and swearing.<br>"Please calm down, my dead uncle is downstairs." Evie stared at Valkyrie. After a few seconds she stood up, smoothed her clothes and hair and marched quickly out of the room and down the stairs.

Valkyrie heard a yelp.  
>"Oh dear." She muttered under her breath. She reached the source of the yelp within twenty seconds. Evie stared at Gordon with wide eyes from the other side of the front room. Valkyrie knew Evie wasn't good at gym, but was she so bad that it took a mere minute or so of runing to leave her panting?<br>"Oh my, are you alright?" Gordon asked the girl who was gripping the couch, chest heaving, an expression on her face that suggested she had just seen a dead person.  
>Which she had. But why would she be scared of the holographic prescence of a dead man? It was that she wasn't quite as used to running through people who seemed to be fairly solid. Evie let out a loud, sweeping breath and rubbed her hand down her face.<br>"This is too weird. I'm going to go home and meditate on what Stephanie has told me and I'll get back to on whether I'm alright or not. Okay?" She spoke in a calm tone.  
>"That seems reasonable." Gordon looked slightly puzzled yet also like he could laugh at her statement. It was at that, that Evie left. She was out of sight quickly. Valkyrie looked worriedly at her uncle. He gave her a small smile.<br>"What will be will be." He assured her.


	5. The Dream

**The Dream**

It had taken Evie the rest of the weekend and two school days to talk to Valkyrie again. For those two school days, Valkyrie had been fairly alone. She sat with the whole gang, but she did not speak or laugh or listen. Instead she would poke at her unappetizing food that she would not eat and pretend to not care about what she cared about. She would question and speculate and wish for some answers to the questions that Evie forced her to ask with her abscence from Valkyrie's life. It was at lunch on a Wednesday that Evie spoke to the lonely raven-haired girl. Valkyrie was aproached with caution and awkward smiles were shared.  
>"...Hey, Steph." The first words spoken between the two in almost three days.<br>"Hi, Evie. Have you come to a conclusion yet?"  
>"Ah. Yes, yes I have. I've decided that I'll still be your friend, just don't make me faint with your magical mumbo jumbo again." Valkyrie laughed lightly.<br>"I'll try not to."  
>"Thanks." The smiles shared now were less awkward than before, any unease between them had cleared to reveal only a bright friendship.<p>

They sat with everyone else, the pair being friends once again became the main topic:  
>"Oh! It seems as if the two besties have made up and stopped moping over whatever it was that caused them to mope!" Keira smirked.<br>"Good. It was depressing watching Stephanie not eat and to not have Evie around. Where the hell were you, anyway?" Caleb inquired.  
>"At home, pretending to be sick. I reckoned a few days off wouldn't be much of a catastrophe education-wise for me. I'm already so smart, even the teachers can't keep up with me." Evie replied with a smirk similar to Keira's.<br>"What was the oh-so-bad thing that made you two get all depressing?" Caleb asked as he moved along a chair to give his own up for Evie, as she decided sitting next to Darren was better than not sitting next to Darren.  
>"Oh, you wouldn't understand. It involves a lot of mumbo jumbo." Valkyrie quoted Evie's earlier statement which made her giggle slightly. It puzzled the others at the table.<br>"Is that some kind of inside joke?" Darren chimed in. Evie nodded. Darren sighed. "I'm not even going to try to get that one."  
>"We all know you're bad at inside jokes. And the ones you make up don't make any fucking sense!" Keira yelled from across the table. She was offering more sweets. This time they were chocolate buttons filled with gooey caramel that tasted far too sweet to even be considered nice. Valkyrie gagged at her first and declined all other offers.<p>

The conversation became many things in it's short time. It was a debate of cats versus dogs, things that made people blush, things that made them laugh, some topics bored and disgusted people, others made people giggle, up until the bell rang and it was back to classes and free periods and deliberately missing out on classes to smoke a cigarette around the corner of the school's front gate. By the end of the school day, Valkyrie was utterly drained of energy from her packed social life. She fumbled for her keys in her pocket while staring into the white paint on her front door. She unlocked the door and grabbed a drink from the fridge and drank while she took the stairs two at a time.

She walked into her room and fell onto her bed. Her eyes found themselves too tired to continue being open. She made sure her drink was on a flat surface before falling into a deep and uninterrupted sleep. She dreamed she had awoken in the park which she had recently found herself drenched by the rain and with a fainted girl on her hands. Only this time, she was alone. It wasn't raining, only overcast. She took a look around the park. It looked as normal as usual except for one new addition. A large tree that beared dark fruits that seemed to move and squirm in the wooden grasp of the tree's branches. Valkyrie moved toward the grand structure. Her footsteps surprised her with how little sound they emitted.

She touched the bumpy bark of the giant. She watched the black things wriggle, completely mesmorized by the strange dark creatures.  
>"You like them?" Came a familiar voice. Valkyrie looked to see the source of the voice that she had heard once before. "Oh, you can't see me. But I'm sure you remember me, right?"<br>Valkyrie's jaw clenched at her voice. "I remember you, Melancholia. Who could forget someone as terrible as you?" A chime of laughter followed Valkyrie's words.  
>"Thanks. That definately makes me feel better about being half-dead."<br>"You're in a coma, how can you be talking to me?"  
>"Simple. I've sent my spirit over to your mind. When one is in a coma, the spirit usually stays with you but someone who still believes in my power must have done something to let mine run free." Valkyrie sat next to the tree with her back against it.<br>"Why my mind? I thought you hated me?"  
>"Wow, past tense already. It's like I <em>am<em> dead."  
>"Answer the question."<br>"...Fine. I chose your mind because I hate you. I knew that you would be having a bad time and I wanted to watch you suffer. But then I realised exactly how bad you have it."  
>"And what do you mean by that?"<br>"Ooh, Fletcher! Won't you ever come back to me? Hello, mortal girl. I'll put all of my trust in you and try my hardest to befriend you!" Melancholia mocked. "Please. You're life is so pathetic. It's hard to watch. Honestly, if I knew how boring your life could be, I'd never have chosen your mind. Lucky thing I did, though."  
>"Lucky? What's so lucky about that?"<br>"Because, doofus, I'm here to warn you."


	6. A Flying Chance

**A Flying Chance**

"Warn me? About what?" Valkyrie's eyes narrowed towards the non-existant body of Melancholia.  
>"You're little friend isn't all that she seems." The voice of the ex-Death Bringer surrounded Valkyrie.<br>"Evie? But what could she possibly be hiding? She has no powers."  
>"You sure are dim. That girl has magical ability stronger than yours and she's been lying to you from the start. She's fighting for the bad guys and she's out to get you." Valkyrie took that in and no words were spoken between the dreaming girl and the spirit of the girl in the coma.<br>"What kind of sorcerer is she?" Valkyrie finally broke the silence.  
>"I'm not sure. I suggest using necromancy to defeat her, though I'm not sure you'll be able to bring her down with just that. She's been around for longer than you have breathed air." Valkyrie looked up to the black creatures in the trees branches once again.<br>"What are those things?" She asked.  
>"Just little bits of my power. Notice how they go crazy for a while and then stop? And how the tree stops them from breaking free? The tree is this coma they've put me in. Technically, you're leaning on your mind's representation of me." Valkyrie jerked forward slightly. "It's ok. You can lean on me. It's not like I'm going anywhere." This relaxed Valkyrie back to her previous position.<br>"I just don't think I could hurt her. She's become one of my good friends."  
>"Oh, boo hoo. If you want to see another day, you'll fight your damn hardest and if you die fighting then at least you'll go down with dignity."<br>"...I guess. Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Melancholia."  
>"No problem, dumbass. Now wake the hell up."<p>

Suddenly, Valkyrie shot up from her slumber. She was sitting upright in her bed with a panicked expression. Swallowing her fear, she drank from the cup next to her bed. She rubbed her head and looked straight forward to nothing in particular. Was that dream really Melancholia's spirit contacting her or was it nothing but a dream? She sighed and stood up, stretching.

Walking into her sister's room, Valkyrie placed a friendly smile on her face.  
>"Hi, Alice." She greeted the infant. "How are you today? Did you miss me while I was being lied to at school?" Alice gurgled a response. Valkyrie half-smiled and picked up her baby sister. "Let's go get you a bottle of milk."<p>

In the kitchen, Valkyrie heated the milk to the appropriate temperature and checked that it wasn't too hot or cold. After making all the neccessary precautions, she put the mouth of the bottle into Alice's mouth and Alice drank away to her hearts content. Valkyrie enjoyed taking care of her sister. She didn't know what kind of world it would be without her to brighten her day. Valkyrie had thought many times about what Alice would have to go through if one day Valkyrie met her match in battle and Alice no longer had a big sister. It broke Valkyrie's heart to think of something like that, but she had to be realistic. Now more than ever. If what Melancholia said was true, Valkyrie needed to be prepared for Alice not having her around. Valkyrie cleaned up her sibling's mouth that dribbled warm milk.

Valkyrie took Alice back to her room and placed her in the multi-coloured plastic playpen that used to belong to Valkyrie as a young child. She gave Alice one long look and walked out of the room. She closed the door and decided that if she had to fight Evie, she was going to win for her sister's sake. Keeping that in mind, Valkyrie charged to her room and changed into her black battle clothes that she hadn't worn since Skulduggery left her to her own devices. She brought out her reflection and told it to pretend to be sleeping while she was gone. For the first time in a while, she opened her window and exited using her powers to soften her landing. It felt good to get back into her old routine. Her current one was rather boring.

She half-ran to the training area and began honing her magical abilities, creating gushes of wind and sending streams of shadow at walls and dummies. She kicked, punched and dashed her way through a line of man-made enemies and by the end of her training session, she felt better than ever. Stronger than ever. Like she could beat any oponent. She then decided that this was as good a time as any to discover the truth about Evie. Marching, she made her way to her schoolmate's house. Her knocks were loud and purposeful. She kept her face still as she waited for the footsteps to reach the door.

Evie's face emerged from the opened door.  
>"Oh, hi Stephanie. What's up?" She greeted her apparent prey.<br>"Nothing, just wanted to see if you wanted to go for a walk. How about it?" Valkyrie was going to make sure no mortals would be involved.  
>"Sure. Let me just get my jacket." With that Evie skipped up her stairs and out of Valkyrie's sight. It wasn't long before she was walking downstairs while pulling her black hoodie on. She smiled at Valkyrie and closed the door. Valkyrie smiled back and that smile faded as soon as Evie walked ahead.<br>"So where were you thinking?" Evie asked.  
>"Oh, I don't know. How about that park?"<br>"Sure, sounds good."

They walked on for a good twenty minutes until they reached the park that Evie had fainted in and Valkyrie had seen in her dream. It seemed fitting for Valkyrie to defeat her here as it was also the place Evie had discovered Valkyrie's magical abilities. Or so she thought. They reached the park and Evie turned to Valkyrie.  
>"Steph. What's up? You haven't said a word the whole way."<br>"Oh, nothing. It's fine, really." Valkyrie didn't know how this was going to go down. How was she going to bring up such a strange topic? She decided to be blunt. "Actually, I've been hearing this voice in my head."  
>"Oh? That's kinda sketchy." Evie laughed.<br>"Yeah, but it's more than that. I heard it in a dream, too." Evie stopped laughing. "It was a girl I used to know. Melancholia."  
>"What an odd name. What did she say?"<br>"She told me the truth. You're not really a mortal, are you?"  
>"Stephanie, what are you saying? Of course I'm a mortal. Are you alright?"<br>"Stop lying. What do you want from me?" Evie's composure was slowly being broken.  
>"...Fine. I'll tell you. I want you dead." She said, her voice becoming more animalystic. A low growl escaped her lips.<br>"Why? What do you get out of it?"  
>"Isn't it obvious? You're the one who'll destroy the world. Why would I want that?"<br>"What? How did you know that?" Valkyrie hadn't told her about any of that.  
>"It's not exactly a big secret. I can smell the evil in you."<br>"But I'm not going to let that happen! I'm going to keep her under control!"  
>"Oh, brilliant. Then I'll just forget all about killing you and leave you alone forever because destiny doesn't exist if you try hard enough!" Valkyrie bit her lip at that. Evie took a step back and something horrible happened.<p>

Her hair changed colour first, from a light brown to a black dark as night. Her legs cracked and broke into a different shape. Short, grey feathers erupted from her skin and her mouth ripped open to reveal a sharp beak. Finally, wings sprouted from her back, huge and grey to match her body. Valkyrie stared at the large beast that used to be her friend.  
>"What are you?" Valkyrie asked in bewilderment.<br>"I'm a harpy. Isn't it obvious?" Her voice was scratchy and hollow. She stretched her muscles and moved her head to the side. Her eyes were yellow and her pupils had changed to dark slits breaking apart the bright yellow. "Now, let's get started shall we?"

Her huge wings flapped and sent great gusts of wind toward Valkyrie as Evie rose into the air. Valkyrie shielded her eyes from the dust that was kicked up with the wind. She felt her ring, cold on her finger and remembered Melancholia's words:  
>"I suggest using necromancy to defeat her, though I'm not sure you'll be able to bring her down with just that."<br>Evie swooped with incredible speed and Valkyrie was just quick enough to dodge her by jumping to the side and landing in a crouched position. Evie paused mid-flight in the air. She then proceded to stretch her clawed hands out to the side and curled her disjointed legs up against her body. It took a few seconds for the small tornados to form in her hands, but once they did, Evie threw one in Valkyrie's direction. Valkyrie then tried to stop it by pushing at the air and trying to find the weak spot of the small tornado that threatened to swallow her up and spit her out where she would be defenseless against the harpy that hovered vulture-like over Valkyrie's head. The tornado disappeared once Valkyrie found the point of breaking in it's complicated structure.

Valkyrie whipped at the other tornado rotating in Evie's hand with a stream of dark shadow. It broke through the tornado and latched onto Evie's wrist. Valkyrie yanked and pulled the harpy back down to Earth. She kicked at Evie once she was close enough, sending her down to the ground. Evie landed with a crack that made Valkyrie flinch. Valkyrie took a step towards the girl with caution.  
>"Pathetic." Escaped Evie's beak and before Valkyrie knew what was going on, Evie was behind her, claws holding onto her neck, slightly digging in. "What's the matter? Do you still think of me as a friend? Even as I hurt you like this?" With the last word Evie dug her claws in a little deeper. Valkyrie gasped at the pain.<br>Valkyrie twitched her hand, sending shadow around Evie's neck and yanked her off the bleeding girl. Valkyrie's hand went to her throat to try and stop her blood from spilling out of her neck. Evie staggered forward and kicked herself back into the air. She then let out a strangled scream as she fell back to the ground.  
>"My wing! What did you do!" She yelled as Valkyrie turned to look at her.<p>

Evie's rage over the broken wing changed her further, turning her feathers dark, making her beak sharper and curved, her talons grew bigger, sharp bone erupted from her elbows. Evie hunched over and let loose a growl that made Valkyrie shudder. Then, Evie's wings grew bigger and the broken one mended itself quickly. She broke her crouched position to push off the ground and soar into the sky. Valkyrie stopped the air created from hitting her and knocking her back. Evie reached a high point and did a u-turn, aiming for Valkyrie. Valkyrie dodged, causing Evie to graze herself while turning away from the ground.

Valkyrie shot two streams of shadow at Evie while she was close. One grabbed her around her waist and another caught her ankle. Valkyrie slammed Evie to the ground, leaving a crack in the ground and Evie's body went slack. Her feather's fell off one by one and her wings retreated back into the painful looking skin. Her feet and hands returned to a more human form. Her legs slowly moved and snapped into place. Evie's hair covered her naked shoulders. Her clothes had been torn and ripped due to the transformation into harpy.

Valkyrie fell to her knees. She had lost a lot of blood and her vision was getting hazy. The last thing she remembered before passing out was a shock of blonde hair and strong arms wrapping around her shaking shoulders.


	7. Reunions and Partings

Reunions and Partings

When Valkyrie awoke from her exhaustion induced slumber, all she could see was a white tiled ceiling. Lights illuminated the shiny porcelain and bounced off every surface going straight for Valkyrie's eyes. She moved her head slowly, a throbbing pain resounded in her brain. Her vision was hazy as she sat up and rubbed the side of her head. A low groan escaped her lips. Around her the walls had the same white tiles as the ceiling. It seemed she was in some kind of hospital. There were tubes of a see-through liquid that were connected to her arm. She looked around, trying to get accustomed to her surroundings. She was lying on a blank white bed in a room almost completely empty. Beside her, a short table stood there with a potted plant sitting on top. She tried calling out to her saviour but her throat was dry and raspy. After clearing her throat and trying to get some saliva back into her mouth, she called out a "Hello?" A few seconds after, the door swung open to reveal a woman in a medical mask and long white lab coat.  
>"Hello, Valkyrie. You fainted due to blood loss. Luckily, your friend was there to bring you here." Her accent had a hint of Australian.<br>"My friend? Which friend?" The woman looked outside the door and to the left.  
>"A boy, blonde hair. He was very worried about you. He's waiting outside." Valkyrie's eyebrows knitted themselves and turned her expression quizzical.<br>"Fletcher...? But he said..." The woman noticed Valkyrie's loss of words.  
>"Would you like to see him? I'm sure he would want to know if you're alright."<br>"...Yeah. Yeah, I would." She replied.

Fletcher bounded into the room not long after the doctor left to get him. He paused to look at her, his face creased with worry. After seeing that she was okay, he sighed a sigh of relief and smiled at her. She motioned for him to come closer and he complied. She did not smile back at his grin. She did not hug him back as he gripped her tight and said "Thank God." She let a tear roll down her cheek as he began sobbing into her shoulder.  
>"Fletcher." She said.<br>"Yeah, Val?"  
>"What the hell? I thought you said we're too different or something? So why are you here? Why did you save me?"<br>"...Why wouldn't I? Valkyrie, just because we're not good for each other doesn't mean I don't love you! I'd never stop loving you, even if you were evil and you were going to murder me." Valkyrie stared at him hard. Her composure was breaking and her lip began to tremble.  
>"But that doesn't make sense. It's stupid!" She closed her eyes to stop the tears.<br>"Well, yeah but it's been established that I'm not the brightest." He half smiled.  
>"Obviously." She hissed. This made him laugh aloud and he kissed her cheek. They hugged each other and stayed like that until Valkyrie remembered.<p>

"Fletch, did you by any chance, see a girl with brown hair and ripped up clothes?"  
>"Yeah and I saw most of the fight, too. I brought her in here so that she couldn't escape. I told Skulduggery about a harpy that tried to kill you and he went nuts." Valkyrie bit her lower lip.<br>"Doctor?" She shouted for the woman from before. She appeared from around a corner.  
>"Yes, Valkyrie?"<br>"Which room is the harpy girl in? The one that Fletcher brought in?"  
>"I'm afraid I can't tell you that. But I can tell you that she is currently being questioned by Sanctuary members." Valkyrie's mouth parted slightly.<br>"...Good. They'll take care of her, then." Fletcher looked at Valkyrie. Her face was sad, almost like she regretted something.  
>"Is that all?" The doctor asked.<br>"Yes, that's all. Thank you." The doctor walked away to another room.  
>"Hey, I have Skulduggery's phone number. I can call him and tell him to come to this room if you'd like." Fletcher offered.<br>"Yeah, that'd be good." With that, Fletcher got out his phone and clicked a few buttons. He walked out of the room to make the call and Valkyrie fiddled with the bed sheets as she waited for Fletcher to come back. His face was angry as a remnant of the conversation he had just had with Skulduggery. They never really did get on well.  
>"He'll be here in a few minutes. He's still as annoying as always."<br>"I don't know why you two can't just suck it up and be friends."  
>"Because it's impossible. He dislikes me for irrational reasons and I dislike him because of it." Valkyrie rolled her eyes and sighed. Fletcher was sitting on the edge of her bed with his fingers intertwined with hers. He examined her face, every detail, every eyelash, the curve of her nose. He had seen her face a thousand times before yet he never got bored of it. He leaned his head down and kissed her, she kissed back and squeezed her eyes shut.<p>

They were interrupted by a deliberate cough and Fletcher removed himself from Valkyrie's lips and gave an annoyed stare at the well-dressed perpetrator. Skulduggery doffed his hat at the two.  
>"Hope I'm not interrupting anything." He said in a tone that Fletcher found irksome.<br>"Of course not." Fletcher said through gritted teeth.  
>"Valkyrie, how are you doing? You gave us quite a scare." He took a step forward.<br>"I'm fine. And I'm assuming you got here so quick because you were talking with Evie?"  
>"If you mean the harpy then yes, but we've been told her name is Evangeline Serre. She is a member of a harpy tribe in France. She's been living here undercover as a student for a few years now. We'll be taking her for a hearing once she recovers from your scrap with her." Valkyrie's mouth was a thin line.<br>"Good. I'm glad she's getting a fair trial then." Valkyrie's eyes dropped to her hands.  
>"And Valkyrie," Her head shot up. "I'll be expecting you to help me on the next case once <em>you <em>get better." Valkyrie nodded and watched her best friend leave the room waving a gloved hand at her. Fletcher stood up and stretched.  
>"I'm gonna head off for a while. If you need me, just tell Dr. Mirrors. She'll phone me." Valkyrie nodded and the space that Fletcher had been standing in became empty. Valkyrie sighed and let her head fall onto the pillow supporting her neck. She sunk into a deep sleep and found herself wandering in a familiar park.<p>

She sat in front of the Melancholia tree this time. She had learned her lesson from the first time she was here. Valkyrie noticed that a lot of the leaves on the tree had fallen and the black orbs of power moved slower.  
>"Hello." Melancholia's voice was faint.<br>"Hello, Melancholia. What's going on?" Valkyrie inquired.  
>"Well, you see, now that I've helped you, I feel no reason to be here in your mind anymore. I'm slowly drifting back to my own mind." A leaf fell and hit Valkyrie on the head. It slid down her back and joined the rest of the leaves.<br>"I guess it'd be for the best. You didn't even like it here, anyway."  
>"No, I didn't. But it's been nice seeing the world one last time."<br>"Don't be daft. You'll see the world again."  
>"Valkyrie, they put me in a coma. I'm never opening my eyes again." Valkyrie felt slightly saddened by this.<br>"But you had a hell of a life, eh?" Valkyrie laughed.  
>"Yeah... I really did." And then the dark orbs burst and dark energy showered Valkyrie. The tree groaned as it snapped and fell to the ground. Valkyrie stood up and looked at the broken tree trunk. From it, a shimmering figure appeared. Melancholia stood before Valkyrie and smiled at her.<br>"Thank you." She said and flew into the air leaving a shocked and teary Valkyrie standing on the ground.  
>"You're so welcome, Melancholia."<p> 


	8. Epilogue

Epilogue

Valkyrie stood over the grave of Melancholia St. Claire. She felt kind of sad, knowing the blonde girl who would act cold and cruel towards her was gone forever. The Necromancers couldn't say a word against the Sanctuary or any of their agents because it was a natural death, there was nothing they could do. Evie, or as Valkyrie now knew her to be, Evangeline Serre, had been detained in a cell at the Sanctuary for quite some time. Sanctuary members in France had been sent to investigate the Serre harpy tribe whoes whereabouts had been interrogated out of Evangeline. Skulduggery told Valkyrie that much, but she didn't ask anymore. She didn't want to know.

Things with Fletcher had been going well. They spent weekends and days Valkyrie wasn't busy on a case or training together. It had been a mutual decision to keep their work lives and personal lives seperate meaning they mostly interracted via text messages. Fletcher would always pop in to kiss her goodmorning and goodnight on work days. Valkyrie was happily content with that aspect of her life. But for the moment, she was mourning the loss of a great fighter, a great enemy, and a great friend.

She left yellow roses in front of the tombstone that read Melancholia's name in the graveyard above the many Necromancers busying themselves with things requiring business. Valkyrie wondered if they were mourning her too. She was their Death Bringer, after all. Valkyrie guessed that they had probably mourned her from the start; comatose was probably worse than death for a Necromancer. Valkyrie sighed, her breath loudly filling the silence of the dead. She shoved her hands in her pockets, said farewell, and swiftly exited the resting place of Melancholia St. Claire.

The End.


End file.
